Events Archive
During this event, we would like to explore the nature and significance of manumission of enslaved people from a global perspective. Drawing on a variety of sources, especially judicial and notarial ones, we will gain insights into the different types of manumission, their procedures, and outcomes. The main question we are interested in and therefore want to focus on is not only the act of manumission itself, but also the period after manumission. What were the conditions and steps for manumission? What did emancipation really mean? What happened to the slaves after manumission? Did manumission lead to freedom or to a different kind of relationship of dependence? How did the relationship between slaves and slave owners develop after the manumission? What role did manumission play in social life and in the shaping of society? What information can we find in our sources on these aspects? What epistemological and methodological approaches do we use to overcome silences in the records?
How did political shifts in southern Babylonia during the third millennium BCE impact land and social status? For most of this period, independent city-states coexisted, sometimes clashing with each other or with Kish in the north. Eventually, the region unified under the Sargonic dynasty and then the Third Dynasty of Ur. Despite these changes, the land-tenure system stayed stable due to environmental needs, particularly large-scale irrigation. Most arable land was controlled by rulers, governors, and temples, with individual land rights depending on one’s freedom and social status. Society had three main groups: free citizens, who owned land and were conscripted part-time; serflike individuals, who were free but conscripted full-time and rarely had land; and enslaved people, who were unfree and did not possess land. This presentation will explore the continuity and shifts in land ownership and liberty across the Early Dynastic, Sargonic, and Ur III periods.
'Justice for the individual and society' Prof. Dr. Claudia Jarzebowski will take part in the panel discussion of the Godesberg Talks, alongside Dominik Pinsdorf, honorary judge at the Bonn District Court and holder of the Federal Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, Jens Groß, drama director and Pastor Dr. Gianluca Carlin The demand for justice permeates our lives - from the schoolyard to inheritance. But what does justice mean when people's perceptions of it are so different? People have always fought for their rights and for what they consider to be fair. Every crisis raises the question of a fair society and the protection of our basic rights. The tension between individual feelings and social norms continues to shape our coexistence to this day. The event will be moderated by Dr. Ebba Hagenberg-Miliu
What if enslaved and formerly enslaved literary workers played a crucial role in the composition of the Synoptic Gospels? This lecture challenges assumptions in New Testament scholarship’s “Synoptic Problem,” which explores the literary relationships between Matthew, Mark, and Luke. By uncovering the invisible labor of these uncredited collaborators, this article reimagines gospel writing and expands the boundaries of New Testament studies.
This talk explores the life of Crispina Peres, the most powerful trader in Cacheu, a key West African slave port, who was arrested by the Inquisition in 1665. Accused of using treatments from Senegambian healers, she became a target in a broader struggle over faith and power. Professor Green transports us to seventeenth-century Cacheu, revealing its daily life, culture, and the brutal realities of the expanding slave trade. Through Peres’s case, we uncover a globally connected world where women defied imperial patriarchy, challenging the narratives of European dominance. This talk has been organised by BCDSS fellow Ana Lucia Araujo.
Hybrid Workshop: Recent cataclysms prove glaringly the importance of continuously discussing and analyzing asymmetrical dependencies in premodern inner Eurasian connecting spaces north and east of the great mountain ranges, now in large parts claimed by Russia. The Research Network Premodern East Slavic Europe is committed to convene historians studying periods up to the long 18th century for scientific exchange and dialogue, to overcome the current marginalization of these fields in scientific and public perception. The conference invites to grapple with the concepts of dependency and (inter-)agency in these areas. It focuses, on the one hand, on exploring the approaches to asymmetrical social dependencies. On the other hand, crossconnections with fields of inquiry in political and (trans-) imperial history with a view to asymmetrical interethnic and resource dependencies as well as environmental history will be examined.
Join us on April 29th when Theresa Wobbe, BCDSS alumna, will discuss the recently published book “Sklaverei, Freiheit und Arbeit: Soziohistorische Beiträge zur Rekonfiguration von Zwangsarbeit,” edited by herself, Léa Renard, and Marianne Braig. The contributions in this volume systematically draw on Orlando Patterson's sociology of slavery and the European ideal of freedom. Against this background, the authors argue for a socio-historical approach to capture the dynamics of the different dependencies of slavery and labour. Theresa Wobbe will be joined by Claudia Jarzewobski, BCDSS Professor for Early Modern History and Dependency Studies, and Eva Marie Lehner, BCDSS Postdoctoral Researcher. During the book discussion, Theresa Wobbe, Claudia Jarzebowski and Eva Marie Lehner will aim to shed light on the intertwining of labour, freedom, and slavery by examining labour relations based on violence and coercion.
Join us on March 10th, 2025, from 14:00-16:00, for what is promising to be a powerful discussion on overcoming challenges related to gender identities within academia. The event aims to highlight the increasing presence of women in academia, demonstrate their strength and resilience in overcoming obstacles, and inspire younger academics who are embarking on their journeys in higher education. With Prof. Dr. Chioma Daisy Onyige and Prof. Dr. Natalie Joy, we have two senior academics at the BCDSS of international calibre, who are happy to share their personal experiences. They will be joined by two equally remarkable researchers and alumnae of the Center for International Development (ZEF): Dr. Rabia Chaudhry and Dr. Dennis Avilés Irahola. The discussion is moderated by PD Dr. Eva Youkhana (Senior Researcher, ZEF) and Cécile Jeblawei (Press & PR Manager, BCDSS). We call on representatives of all genders to take part. Men are particularly welcome to join the conversation!
How did marginalized groups in rigid societies find paths to economic and social mobility? In the Roman Empire, lower-class individuals navigated established systems and forged their own routes to upward mobility, often through local professional and voluntary associations that linked them to the elite. This talk will examine epigraphic texts and Roman naming practices to explore how enslaved and freed individuals—excluded from traditional networks—leveraged their official organization, the familia publica, to engage in civic life, public events, and socioeconomic structures. This case study sheds light on asymmetrical dependency in Roman society and speaks to modern debates about the lasting impact of enslavement.
Join us on April 8, 2025, for the next edition of the "WHO'S GOT THE POWER?" film and discussion series at Kino in der Brotfabrik, Bonn, in collaboration with Förderverein Filmkultur. We are thrilled to present The Illusion of Abundance, a powerful documentary by Matthieu Lietaert and Erika Gonzalez Ramirez. This gripping film tells the inspiring stories of Maxima Acuña (Peru), Berta Cáceres (Honduras), and Carolina (Brazil)—three courageous women who have risked everything to stand up against environmental destruction caused by profit-driven transnational corporations. Following the screening, engage in a thought-provoking discussion with BCDSS members Carla Jaimes Betancourt, Christian Mader and Aline Pereira from the Global Heritage Lab.
Join us to the launch of "Versklavung im Atlantischen Raum: Orte des Gedenkens, Orte des Verschweigens in Frankreich und Spanien, Martinique und Kuba (Enslavement in the Atlantic World Sites of Remembrance, Sites of Silence in France and Spain, Martinique and Cuba)", the latest work by Ulrike Schmieder, professor at Leibniz University Hannover. This book explores the memories of Atlantic slavery in museums, public spaces, and historical sites in France and Spain, as well as in Martinique and Cuba. Using oral history methods, it investigates the topography of memory and the social context of remembrance sites.
Organized by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies, this conference aims to address gaps in the study of slavery, bondage, coerced labor, and forced displacement across Asia. We invite scholars from various disciplines to contribute to a better understanding of the history, historiography, legacies, and current forms of these dependencies from an Asian perspective. We seek innovative historical case studies and contributions on topics like emic terminologies, memory, archival practices, and digital approaches. The conference will also explore the value and implications of adopting an "Asian perspective" in advancing scholarly dialogue and interdisciplinarity. Please send an email to asiaconference@dependency.uni-bonn.de in order to register for the event.
We are pleased to invite you to a keynote lecture by Indrani Chatterjee from the University of Virginia as part of the conference Strong Asymmetrical Dependencies: Perspectives from Asia, Past & Present. Chatterjee’s lecture, titled "Intersecting Subjections in South Asian Pasts," will begin with an introduction by Dr. Emma Kalb and will be followed by a reception at 18:00 CET. Please send an email to asiaconference@dependency.uni-bonn.de in order to register for the event.
Join us for The International Lunch Seminar titled "Bondage, Resistance, and Violence in Angola, 1600s-1880s: Centering Women in Histories of Slavery," happening on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 12:00 to 1:30 PM at Heussallee 18-24 (room 1.100). Prof. Dr. Mariana P. Candido, Winship Distinguished Research Professor and Director of the Institute of African Studies at Emory University, will discuss the significant roles of women in Angola's history of slavery, focusing on their experiences with bondage, resistance, and violence. This seminar is organized by Ana Lucia Araujo, Professor of History at Howard University and Heinz Heinen Fellow at the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies. This seminar will be held in person only. Attendants must email Professor Araujo (see below) no later than May 30 to get the paper. All participants must read the paper and come prepared for discussion.
How did racism come to be? Just as race is not a biological reality, racism is not inherent to human nature. It was invented and sustained through historical encounters, economies, and religious traditions—especially in North-South interactions. This presentation compares the history of racism in the U.S. to current developments, highlighting not just divide-and-conquer tactics but also "unite-and-conquer" strategies that reveal deeper complexities and potential solutions.
Walther Maradiegue and Sophia Labadi will discuss the sonic afterlives of heritagization in an indigenous Peruvian community, analyzing a Cañaris protest against the government's denial of their existence and land rights, arguing they challenge state recognition through performance and sound. The protest reenacts Tupac Amaru II’s 1781 execution alongside the state-recognized ‘Danza de los Guerreros Cascabeleros.’
What do we do with the wounds of a people and a nation? Like the doubting disciple who longed to touch Jesus's side, we must confront wounds, understanding their stories and the healing they signal. How does Black theology help us interpret the legacy of the Middle Passage, the GI Bill benefits denied to Black veterans, or the plight of shackled Black women inmates giving birth? Through Black theology and a womanist lens, this lecture explores why memory is crucial for healing and justice.
How did jailing function in Ming China? This talk, based on Ying Zhan's book, rethinks the patrimonial bureaucratic system through the lens of vulnerability and dependence. It explores how bureaucrats experiences of jailing revealed the state's reliance on the patriarchal family, their complex relationships with lower classes, and how women used these crises to assert agency. By integrating comparative prison studies and family history, she will examine the social impact of jailing and the role of patriarchy in the Chinese bureaucratic empire.
Amid escalating geopolitical instability, authoritarian retrenchments, and the deepening securitisation of knowledge-making, this conference critically examines how entrenched knowledge dependencies continue to shape practices of future-making—and how more equitable futures might still be (re)imagined. From the weaponisation of AI to the erosion of indigenous, activist, and academic freedoms, and the constraints of donor-driven agendas, we ask: How is knowledge circulation mediated? Under what conditions have alternative epistemic futures emerged—in the longue durée and within present formations?
Join us at the University of Bonn's Dies Academicus on 14 May, where BCDSS Fellows Evelyn Hu-De Hart, Christine Whyte, and Aleksander Paradziński will provide insights into their current research projects.
Humans have long relied on animals to survive and build societies, yet these entanglements—and their impact on human relationships—are often understudied. With current debates around the Anthropocene and shifts in Humanities and Social Sciences, it’s vital to include ecological perspectives in studying colonization, slavery, and asymmetrical dependencies. The interdisciplinary workshop "Entangled Lives" will explore these dynamics, focusing on Indigenous experiences and diverse regions across the Americas. Prof. Marcy Norton (University of Pennsylvania), author of "The Tame and the Wild," will deliver the keynote as part of the Joseph C. Miller Memorial Lecture Series. We’ll discuss familiarization, embodied knowledge, dependency, and human-animal bonds shaped by local ecologies. Open to the public. Register via email: entangledlives@dependency.uni-bonn.de
Over the course of millennia Indigenous and European cultures profoundly diverged in how they organized their relationships with other animals. Sixteenth-century European authorities understood these differences in terms of cultural evolution and diabolism: they framed animal husbandry as a mark of civilizational advancement, and, relatedly, viewed many forms of animal subjectivity as potentially demonic. These discourses have seeped into modern scholarship and distorted or even erased the myriad ways Indigenous people interacted with and thought about other-than-human creatures. In particular, scholars have ignored or misunderstood practices of familiarization – the taming of wild animals undertaken for affective, spiritual, and political reasons. In this talk I will explore the entanglement of colonial discourses of domestication and diabolism, and familiarization practices among Nahua, Zapotec, and Mixtec communities before and after Spanish colonization.
The "afterlife of slavery," a concept coined by Saidiya Hartman and rooted in the work of Hazel V. Carby and Hortense Spillers, explores how the legacy of transatlantic slavery continues to shape American life. Toni Morrison's 'Beloved' (1987) is often cited as central to this framework. Yet in 'A Mercy' (2008), Morrison imagines a world outside the constraints of this legacy, set in a time before slavery's full establishment. This lecture examines how Morrison's later novel engages with, or departs from, the afterlife of slavery, focusing on archival materials that reveal her role in shaping its publication. Professor Kinohi Nishikawa teaches African American Literature at Princeton University. He is the author of 'Street Players: Black Pulp Fiction and the Making of a Literary Underground' (University of Chicago Press, 2018), and co-editor of 'Sites of Memory: Toni Morrison and the Archive'. His work has appeared in 'ASAP/Journal', 'American Literary History', and 'Novel'.
The 1874 painting 'The Acrobats' offers a glimpse into the lives of children performing in the circus 150 years ago. But does it also tell us something about the vulnerability of 'children in entertainment' and 'child performers' in general, both then and now? Find out more at the BCDSS station at this year's Uni Bonn Science Rallye!
On 15 May 2025, two exhibitions will open in the Global Heritage Lab, P26, at the University of Bonn. The exhibition "Dressing Resistance. Fashion and the Heritage of Mission" explores the question of how Christian missionisation has influenced fashion in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and how fashion designers and artists deal with this legacy today. It builds on an international conference with academics and cultural practitioners at the Global Heritage Lab. The exhibition "Enmeshed and Entwined - Fabrics of Dependency" by the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) and the Bonn Center for Digital Humanities (BCDH) discusses the social entanglements and asymmetrical dependency relationships inherent in one of our oldest cultural assets. Opening hours of the exhibitions: 16.05.2025-12.10.2025, Wednesday-Sunday, 2-6 pm, Global Heritage Lab, Poststraße 26, 53111 Bonn
During Heritage Week, various institutes of the University of Bonn are inviting scholars to participate in open conversations and critical reflections on a range of approaches to heritage in a global context. The proposed agenda includes the following topics for discussion: the relationship between nature and culture, the concept of sustainability, the indigenous heritage of the Americas and Africa, and the coloniality of statues and monuments.
Palm oil can be found in nearly half of all supermarket products and is also used as a biofuel. Indonesia and Malaysia supply about 80 % of the world’s demand. Although promoted as a tool for reducing CO₂ emissions, palm oil cultivation drives deforestation, biodiversity loss, and deep social inequalities in Southeast Asia. Kristina Großmann, Investigator at the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies and Professor of Southeast Asian Anthropology at the University of Bonn, will explore whether certification programs and the idea of a “Just Transition” can help resolve this dilemma.
This November, the WHO'S GOT THE POWER Film and Discussion Series continues in collaboration with the Förderverein Filmkultur at Kino in der Brotfabrik in Bonn. On 6 November 2025 at 19:00, we will be screening and discussing Sugar Island, a hybrid documentary fiction film by Johanné Gómez Terrero (Dominican Republic/Spain, 2024, 91 min). Sugar Island explores identity, memory, and the enduring legacies of colonialism — weaving together family struggles, Afro-Dominican spirituality, and collective resistance against exploitation. In addition, Sugar Island is also part of this year's Cinescuela Film Festival.
Public discussion: "From Streets to Front Pages: The Media Stories of Contested Statues of enslavers and colonial figures since 2020" Presenter: Sophia Labadia Discussant: Julia Binter
3:40–4:00 pm: Book promotion "Every Monument Will Fall: a story of remembering and forgetting" 4:00–6:00 pm: Presentation and discussion "'Crumbling is not an Instant's Act': thoughts on monumentality, endurance, and public memory" Presenter: Dan Hicks Discussants: Julia Binter and Sophia Labadi
As part of the supporting program of the International Silent Film Festival (7-17 August 2025) in Bonn, we warmly invite you to a lecture and Q&A by cultural scholar Yumin Li. In her talk, Li shares her research on the remarkable international film career of "Show Life" (German: "Song") actress Anna May Wong (1905-1961). Li highlights the importance of the Chinese-American actress as a pioneer in film history. As the first Hollywood star of Chinese heritage, Anna May Wong is today seen a symbol of self-empowerment. To experience Anna May Wong on screen, join us for an open-air screening of her film "Show Life" (German: "Song") the night before, on 15 August 2025 at 22:00 at the Arkadenhof of University of Bonn.
Join us on Monday, 2 June, when we screen and discuss two short documentary movies from West Africa, both linked by the themes of (social media) activism, slavery, violent repression, and the fight for visibility and recognition of rights, dignity and freedom: - Ganbanaaxu Fedde: A Transnational Anti-Slavery Movement (2024) by Lotte Pelckmans - 3 Stolen Cameras (2017) by RåFILM and Equipe Media The event is part of our film and discussion series WHO'S GOT THE POWER, jointly organized by the BCDSS and Förderverein Filmkultur Bonn.
New photo exhibition by ethnologist and geologist Christoph Antweiler Today, there is no place on earth that has not been touched by humans. Man-made change goes far beyond climate change. It also affects soils, oceans, plants, animals, and geochemical cycles. In short, we humans have become a significant geological factor. We humans have an impact as powerful as that of natural forces such as volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. Our actions today will have repercussions far into the geological future. That is why we talk about a new geological epoch, the “Anthropocene.” According to current research, this new epoch began in the middle of the twentieth century. In this photographic exhibition, ethnologist and geologist Christoph Antweiler from the university's Institute for Oriental and Asian Studies (IOA) shows the causes and consequences of this problematic development.
How have African Atlantic artists transformed our understanding of slavery’s legacy? Drawing on Rice’s three decades of experience as an academic and curator, including work with the Whitworth Art Gallery, Lancaster Maritime Museum, and the International Slavery Museum, this lecture explores how artists from the 1950s to the 2020s, such as Althea McNish, Lubaina Himid, Ellen Gallagher, Jade de Montserrat, and Lela Harris, have used their art to interrogate slavery’s history and its aftermath. Alan Rice will show how their radical interventions and acts of guerrilla memorialisation have reshaped museums, challenged dominant narratives, and redefined the field of the Black Atlantic.
“Whose Prayers did God hear?” / “Wessen Gebete hat Gott erhört?” This question, raised by a pastor reflecting on churches built for Europeans inside the very castles where enslaved Africans were held on the Gold Coast, highlights the deep historical entanglement of Christianity and slavery. The Schlosskirche, in cooperation with the BCDSS, invites you on Dies Academicus to an evening of shared reflection. We will first hear from Prof. Dr. Markus Saur (Exegesis and Theology of the Old Testament) and Prof. Dr. Michael Schulz (Philosophy and Theory of Religions), both from the UoB. Afterwards, the Rev. Prof. Dr. Roderick Hewitt, President of the International University of the Caribbean, will introduce the Council for World Mission’s Onesimus Project, which addresses the legacies of slavery and modern slavery and promotes ecumenical education and advocacy. Prof. Dr. Pia Wiegmink and Rev. David Brandon Smith will guide the discussions. No registration required.
The event is being held in cooperation with the Academy for International Affairs NRW and the Bonn Center for Reconciliation Studies. As Europe rethinks its foreign policy amidst shifting global political relations, one question remains central: Can cooperation succeed without confronting colonial history? This panel takes Germany’s first genocide of the 20th century in Namibia as a starting point to explore how colonial legacies continue to shape today’s global crises, from geopolitics and inequality to diplomacy and democracy. What does the “past in the present” mean for justice claims and Europe’s future role in the world? With experts Henning Melber, Katharina Hacker, and Julia Manek, moderated by Heloise Weber, the discussion will connect postcolonial perspectives with today’s political challenges, including the rise of authoritarian populism as well as transnational efforts aimed at building relations of solidarity and ‘just repair’.
How has Western morality reshaped Indian ideas of the body and performance? This research explores how colonial and postcolonial ideologies impacted Indian expressions of gender and sexuality, especially through dance and performance. Focusing on gay Indian dancer Ram Gopal, my recent book (2024) traces how he navigated cultural tensions in mid-20th-century Europe. Colonial rule and later nationalism imposed Victorian ideals, marginalizing traditions like devadāsīs, hijras, and folk performers, creating a "double dependency" on both colonial and postcolonial norms. Today, artists are reclaiming these forms through performance, film, and cross-disciplinary work, drawing on mythological figures like ardhanārīśvara and Bahuchara Mata. This lecture examines these efforts and the enduring power dynamics shaping memory, identity, and cultural expression.
How did ancient slavery function outside the shadow of the Atlantic trade? While modern scholarship often uses recent history as a universal template, ancient slaving is best understood on its own terms rather than through a Western lens. This upcoming lecture explores three specific areas where pre-modern slave societies differ from modern ones: the immediate proximity to captive-taking, the complex integration of enslaved persons into the family unit, and their primary role as symbolic objects of power.
Is there a material signature for slavery and colonialism? The West African coast, with its European forts and castles that were involved in the transatlantic slave trade (15th–19th century), is one such place. In this talk, Christian Mader and Philip Atta Mensah, will present the initial findings of a recent collaborative project at Fort William in Ghana, a pivotal site in the British slave trade. The project takes an interdisciplinary approach to Fort William, integrating material culture studies, digital archaeology, historical research, community-based methods, and multi-sensory ethnographic techniques. By foregrounding the material, phenomenological, and sensory dimensions of slavery and colonialism, this research reconceptualises the European forts not only as logistical nodes of imperial commerce and violence, but as enduring architectures of exploitation that continue to shape social, spatial, and political realities in postcolonial contexts.
Before transatlantic slavery, European colonial powers used contract workers. After Britain abolished the slave trade in 1807/08, they sought new markets, especially in Latin America, and needed a wage-earning population. By the 1820s–30s, the idea of wage slavery emerged. In 1834, the British introduced the apprenticeship system in their colonies, a compromise with slave owners, until it collapsed in 1838 due to resistance. Still, it inspired the Indentured Labour System, bringing hundreds of thousands of Asian, African, and European contract workers to Caribbean plantations between 1833–1873. This lecture explores how brutal labor systems shaped global market development, focusing on Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Curaçao.